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Kyle Trask’s high school coach would say to any recruiter who listens: The child can play. He has an NFL arm. At the time, Kirk Martin felt he owed it to Trask, who emerged as a Heisman Trophy favorite on Saturday night as No.6 Florida tore Arkansas in The Swamp.
“I just couldn’t bite anybody or any of the big timekeepers,” Martin told CBS Sports as seconds ticked off in the Gators’ 63-35 win over the Razorbacks. “I thought, ‘This is what’s going to happen. They’re going to do a ’30 for 30’ on this kid a day after he’s played in the NFL for years. They’re going to talk about me like I’m the guy who cut Michael Jordan. “
You see, Trask didn’t start in high school. In fact, he didn’t start at all before replacing an injured Feleipe Franks last season in Florida. At Manvel High School in Texas, Trask played behind an D’Eriq King. Who could blame Martin?
“D’Eriq was a little more nervous than Kyle,” Martin said.
This is one way of saying it. King, now in Miami, remains one of the best double-threat quarterbacks in the country. But Trask is the best player in the nation right now… or how you want to quantify the Heisman hype.
For the second time this season, the redshirt senior quarterback threw six touchdown passes, including five in the first half against the Hogs. That gave him 28 touchdown passes this season, breaking the SEC’s record in that category in six games. Only one other player in the past 20 years has pitched so many in the first six games of the season – Graham Harrell for Texas Tech in 2007.
To put it another way: In a Florida school with three Heisman winning quarters, only Danny Wuerffel has played two 6+ touchdown games – in his career.
It is a good place to start the Heisman conference. Wuerffel won the Stiff Arm Trophy in 1996. His statue, along with the other of the Gators – Steve Spurrier and Tim Tebow – adorns the entrance to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
“We’ve been around this before,” said Florida coach Dan Mullen, who coached Tebow as the Gators offensive coordinator. “Kyle is a mature kid who understands that.… Anything beyond that is a colossal waste of time right now.
“The stats are cool,” Trask added, “but they don’t win games.”
Dismissing the Heisman hype is why Saturday was more than Trask.
Florida (5-1) wins lots of games because Trask was a later bloomer. Looking at the Gators throughout this season, they’re a pretty good match with SEC-favorite Alabama No.1 because of that dynamic offense.
You may have noticed that both teams have a quarterback that makes the difference and a depth graph smothered by a wide receiver. You may also have noticed that this is how LSU largely won last year’s national championship.
Now the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together. Trask’s 28 TD assists represent more than six games as last year’s QBs at LSU and Alabama – Joe Burrow (25) and Tua Tagovailoa (27), respectively the No.1 and No.5 picks in the the 2020 NFL.
If you put it all together, Florida is closer to competing for a championship than at any time since Urban Meyer’s departure.
One night when three of his biggest Heisman challengers – Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, Justin Fields of Ohio State and Mac Jones of Alabama – Trask had all eyes on him. He threw touchdowns at four different pass sensors. This without the main target and top playmaker Kyle Pitts, who missed the game with a concussion. Nine Gators have caught passes from Trask this season.
“What’s not to like?” Said Martin. “His best [receiver] came out, and it still turns it on. If he gets to play in the conference championship game and he wins, that will seal the deal. “
It’s kind of a neat projection. On the day the Heisman announced the date of his ceremony (January 5), Trask established himself as the man to beat. He’s played six games this season – all against SEC opponents – and thrown more than 4 touchdowns in each of them.
At one point on Saturday night, Trask saved a poorly executed chip flicker by throwing the flat foot for a 43-yard gain. After Trask’s fifth touchdown pass, Mullen sidelined his quarterback for what was seen as a missed read.
“I’m not a patting type type of guy,” Mullen said.
“You can never be too good,” Trask said.
Meanwhile, Florida Third Channel quarterback Anthony Richardson couldn’t help it at halftime.
At the end of the match, fans who were permitted to enter The Swamp could be heard singing “Trask for Heisman”.
In six games, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound player completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,171 yards. Of the Heisman winners, only BYU’s Ty Detmer had more yards in six games. More recently, Trask can be compared to Burrow (2,157 passing yards) and Tagovailoa (2,011), both of whom have had fewer passing yards in six games.
Now consider this: Burrow (four) and Tagovailoa (three) each played multiple non-SEC teams in their first six games last season. Burrow played for Georgia Southern, Northwestern State and Utah State in three of those games.
Trask came to this place more than good. He did it by being loyal.
No matter what quarterbacks in college, high school kids also don’t have much patience when it comes to playing time. Trask accepted his place behind King because, as he told Martin, “I was born. and I grew up in Manvel, Texas. As long as you give me the opportunity to compete for the job, I’m not going anywhere. If D’Eriq is better than me, he’s gonna have to prove it. “
King did as an undersized three-star prospect who last week became the first player in 25 years to pass 500 yards and five touchdowns with two different programs. King transferred twice, once in high school and once in college, joining Miami from Houston.
Trask remained loyal even though his father once went to Martin’s house and told the coach his son was looking elsewhere. “Mr. Trask, he could go anywhere in the country and start,” Martin recalls. “Don’t choose this school. They run Wing T. They throw 6-7 times per game. He’ll have more throws here, more visibility here.”
And Trask did.
As the story goes, former Florida defensive coordinator Randy Shannon was in Manvel to spot another player. Trask’s arm caught his attention. Then-offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier followed up. Martin had specially configured Trask to throw a 22-yard set of grounds to receivers of the opposite hash mark. He showcased the quarterback’s precision, timing and arm strength.
“It’s better than any five star I’ve seen,” Nussmeier told Martin.
Florida took Trask to the camps and got interested. But the kid who was recruited by Houston Baptist and Lamar would not enlist.
“It’s not some kind of gut reaction,” Martin said.
Trask slept on it, prayed on it, and told his parents about it until he ended up engaging with the Gators. In three seasons in Florida, he threw 22 assists. Trask didn’t start until 2019 and only because Franks was injured. When Franks was knocked out against Kentucky, Florida was behind 21-10. Trask led the Gators to three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and a 29-21 win.
Trask’s rise led to Frank transferring to Arkansas. Trask’s rise also drew comparisons to Burrow, minus the transfer part.
“You look at life, as soon as things don’t go well, [it’s]“I want to quit, I want to go, I want to try something new, I want to give up,” Mullen said. “Instead of, ‘You know what? I’m going to continue to prepare myself because, when my time comes, I’m going to be ready for that moment. If that isn’t one of the best life lessons you can learn, I don’t know what it is. Really, he’s an example for anyone. “
It could all be madness. November Heisman favorites may be an afterthought by the end of the season. In this truncated season, nothing is guaranteed – certainly not a shot from Burrow’s 60 touchdown passes in a full season.
But there is also something to be said about permanence.
Martin defined Trask-level loyalty in another way in a conversation with the Florida website ahead of the season: “[Trask] will not be divorced. This kid, he will marry, and it will be forever. ”
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